Aftermath to that passionate kiss
by anonyreaderfan
Summary: Written for myself and the possibly 9 other fans who are indifferent to Delena and cordially dislike Stelena. What happens after THAT kiss between Elena and Damon
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

Elena sat in history class, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, chewing on the end of her pen. This was one of those times when it seemed surreal that she was sitting in class surrounded by other seniors, listening to a substitute history teacher. The student body had sincerely mourned the death of Mr. Saltzman but young life moved on. Here she was now, earnestly trying to pretend that World War II had some type of relevance in her life.

As the substitute, whose name she couldn't be motivated to remember, droned on, she let her mind wander, as it tended to do these days. Was it only three months ago that the whole nightmare her life had evolved into was suddenly and almost quietly resolved? Many had died and or sacrificed themselves, but she, the doppelganger, the cause of it all, was finally safe.

She stole a sideways glance under her lashes at Caroline's solemn face. The sparkle, lively smile, and spontaneity that she was famous for had died with Tyler, the hour following Klaus's death at Damon's hands. She had managed to rally after her father's death but it seemed that it would be a long time, if ever, that she recovered from the hybrid's death. If she did, it's doubtful she would have that zest for life again.

Elena shifted her gaze next to Bonnie, one desk over from Caroline. She was just plain sad, burdened by the weight of her mother's death. She had died vainly, trying to protect Jamie, while helping her daughter defeat Esther. Bonnie had really connected with her mother's protégé and their death together had finally snapped something in her. Her abhorrence of Damon was cemented by the fact that Damon allowed them to fight Esther alone, choosing instead to whisk a fiercely protesting Elena to safety. That final betrayal had sealed her hatred of him.

Elena jumped when the bell finally rang, so deep in thought she missed most of what the teacher had said. She was vaguely disturbed that she had no idea what her homework was, but didn't stop to ask any of the other students.

Bonnie and Caroline had bolted out of the classroom, not bothering to stop at their lockers, before dashing outside. She hurried to catch up, even calling out. "Wait!"

She tried to ignore the fact that there was no way Caroline, with her vampire hearing, could have missed her plea. This happened frequently these days and Elena attempted but failed not to be hurt by their deliberate avoidance of her.

She forlornly watched them dash up to Stefan, leaning against his car, and hug him, resting their heads against his chest, one arm wrapped around him, one around each other. He gathered them both in his arms, pressing a kiss to each head, before hustling them into the waiting vehicle and taking off. She was slightly ashamed by the stab of jealousy she felt. It used to be her that he comforted, her that he held, making her feel that all was well in the world. She tried to suppress her resentment, aware that her friends needed nurturing.

Still, she felt shut out. She had tried once again to join Bonnie and Caroline at lunch but the conversation was forced. The camaraderie they had once shared was gone. Frequently when she joined them they went silent as if what they were talking about so earnestly was not meant for her ears.

But they tolerated her presence. There was no such tolerance for Damon. If he joined them at the Grill they simply got up and walked away. His various attempts to force the issue resulted in a series of aneurysms from Bonnie and was met with brute force from Caroline. He had finally stopped at Elena's insistence, scared one of them would die.

She tried to suppress her feelings of exclusion and jealousy by rationalizing that she had Damon's love and it was the best thing in the world. She frowned, but then smiled as she heard the distinctive sound of Damon's horn and she spotted him waiting for her in his powder blue convertible. He unfailingly was there to pick her up after school and they always did something to help her unwind from the stress of trying to pretend that everything was normal in her life. Damon listened to her fears and concerns and reassured her that she would get over it.

She crossed the parking lot thinking the entire time. Damon was fun and did everything in his power to amuse her but today she was again struck by how much her circumstances had changed in two years. Years that sometimes seemed like days and other times like centuries. Two years ago she was captain of the cheerleaders, an A student, and the social queen of Mystic Falls. How had she gone from the center of power at school to practically a pariah?

She got into the car, saying hello and sliding across the seat to kiss Damon. It was a beautiful day and she partially rolled down the window, loving the feeling of the wind playing with her hair. Elena turned slightly in her seat to watch Damon's beautiful profile. He felt her gaze and turned to her, smiling happily. He reached over and grabbed her hand, raising it to his lips to bestow a kiss. He made her feel special and when she was in his arms the passion they shared was unbelievable. She had a few bruises to show for it, even with Damon being as careful as he could. He was upset by them and offered to heal them with his blood but she wouldn't hear of it. She was more determined than ever to remain human and wouldn't risk it.

She answered his smile with a smile. She knew she loved him because of the excitement, the anticipation she felt when she was with him, but she needed friends too and somehow she had lost them. It also worried her that he had no friends. After all, he had lost Alaric, forced to kill him to save her. She felt guilty about that too but he shrugged off her concern. His unwillingness to talk about it with her nagged at the back of her mind, but she let it go. He would talk about it when he was ready,

Suddenly it came to Elena that she was being silly. She would ask Stefan for help. She knew he would always love her and hadn't she tried to intercede with Damon when he had taunted Stefan with the fact that he and Elena had slept together. He made a point of touching her whenever Stefan was around. "She loves me Stefan," He would say. "She's mine now."

He insisted she sleep over at the Boarding House and worked her body until she moaned and screamed with satisfaction.

He would get up in the morning and wander down to the kitchen, pajama bottoms down low on his hips, yawning and stretching, complaining how exhausted he was by their lovemaking.

Elena tried to apologize to Stefan but he remained stoic saying Damon needed this, needed to wipe out the sting of Katherine's rejection. Elena had to admit that Stefan knew his brother better than she did because Damon did stop once he saw that Stefan accepted them together and made no attempt to regain her affection. She also had to admit that she was surprised, almost a little hurt that he didn't, but she quickly wiped that thought from her mind. It was Damon she loved and it was better that Stefan accepted it.

Damon had dropped her off at the boarding house that night to let her get her homework done while he went to talk to the Sherriff. She took the opportunity to go to Stefan's room thinking it would be easier to talk to him without Damon around to make snide comments. She knocked on the door and he opened it, standing in the doorway. She was nonplussed that he didn't invite her in the way he used to.

She gave herself a little shake and then smiled at him. "Stefan, I need your help."

He didn't return her smile or immediately offer any assurance of help.

Again, she was a little taken aback by his lack of response but gamely continued. "Things are strained between Bonnie, Caroline and me. You're friends with all of us and I want you to help us get back together again." She placed a hand on his arm while she spoke but there was no yield, no softening in his stance.

"You'll have to talk to them about it." He said politely. "I'm not one of the girls."

"But you're their friend." She looked up at him, eyes pleading.

"Yes, I am. I would do anything for them." He admitted.

"And you're my friend, right?" She looked up at him from under her lashes, placing a hand on his chest, knowing how she had always affected him.

"No." he denied. "We're not friends." He clarified. "You're the girlfriend of my brother."

"I . . I thought you loved me." She faltered, shaken by his coldness.

"I did once, but it's no longer appropriate." He sighed. "I won't be used Elena. This has been hard on me but the one good thing is I seemed to have grown some self respect." He stepped back to close the door saying. "Damon is the one you should be going to."

"But they hate him." She wailed.

"I am sorry." He said as he closed the door in her face.

She stood there for several moments before slowly turning and walking back to Damon's room. She laid down on Damon's side of the bed, bunching his pillow up in her arms, taking comfort in the lingering smell of his shampoo. She wished he would come home soon to take her in his arms and kiss away her sorrow.

Her stomach was in knots and she tried to calmly figure out what was wrong. She blinked back tears as she thought, this is so not fair. She was safe now and that was the problem. The fear and terror had kept back the thoughts. She had lived day to day without taking the time to think, concentrating only on surviving. But now she had time to think, time for guilt.

She had gone to a therapist and the woman had been good. She had immediately identified survivor's guilt but had also known that Elena was holding back something. Elena punched the pillow in frustration. Of course, she was holding back. If she had told the truth she would have been committed to a mental hospital. No one would believe her. The woman had been kind and recommended that if she couldn't be honest with her then she needed to talk it out with nonjudgmental friends or find a therapist she could trust. Elena had felt bad that the woman thought she failed her . . damn it . . there it was again, she was always feeling bad.

Elena knew what she needed. She needed her friends, the people who had survived with her and had gone through hell with her, but they didn't want her. That innate honest core of her understood why. She was the symbol of all that was bad in their lives. They had suffered for her and because of her. Their lives had unalterably changed and it was HER fault. Damon could utter all the platitudes he wanted but deep down she knew the truth and that part of her did not flinch from it. If Miranda and Grayson Gilbert had not adopted the baby girl Elena, Bonnie and Caroline would not be suffering the way they were now. Bonnie would not have grown up motherless and lost everyone in her life that mattered to her. Caroline would not be facing life as a vampire, condemned to live eternity mourning the loss of her loved one.

She sighed deeply. She had spied on them for hours over the last couple of months as they sat talking, gesturing, and she could tell, reliving what they had gone through. Often Stefan joined them and when they cried he would hold them and comfort them. He must have known she was there but he never acknowledged her presence.

She grimaced at that thought. That's what she needed . . to talk to Stefan. He had always listened, allowing her to share her deepest thoughts, never judging, but still able to give sage advice. She silently laughed at herself. Had she really thought when she gave in to her feelings for Damon, that she would still have good old Stefan there to comfort her?

What a naïve fool she had been. When she thought about it at all, she had imagined a rosy future with Damon as her lover and Stefan there when she needed a friend, a confidante.

More than anything else she wanted to be a normal teenager, to fit in again, to be accepted. When her two childhood friends had made it clear that things were different she tried to cultivate a new friend and had arranged to go on a double date with Debbie and her boyfriend and Damon. Disastrous was an understatement. Debbie was a senior but still very immature. Damon had at first tried to charm her but she was totally overwhelmed by him, showing her confusion by blushing and stammering. Her boyfriend Denny, no Danny, was a total jock. Damon was bored within a half hour and made no attempt to hide it. After the sixth eye roll Elena had cut short the painful evening and spent the rest of the night drinking and making love with Damon.

She couldn't help but think it would have worked with Stefan. He would have been gentle with Debbie and able to talk sports with Danny and she would have been doing normal teenage things on a normal teenage date. When she had tried to talk to Damon about it he had said that he wasn't a teenager and wasn't going to pretend to be one.

She allowed her mind to wander to the double date with Sherriff, no, Liz Forbes. Liz was going out on a third date with a man from an adjoining town and had called Damon begging him for support. The foursome had gone out to dinner and Elena had felt totally out of it. They talked politics and TV shows, and movies and music that she had never heard of. She ended up mute for most of the night. The few times she had tried to talk about bands she liked she was met with blank stares. She, however, with a politeness instilled in her from childhood never betrayed her boredom or discomfort.

Her eyes filled with tears again. She knew that she needed to talk out her feelings but that was the one thing Damon couldn't do with her. When she spoke about how alienated she felt he kissed her and told her she always had him. When she tried to express her guilt over Jenna and her friends, he would stroke her head and rub her back and tell her it was all nonsense. When she tried to relate to him about Ric's death he would abruptly stop her by making love to her. He could not talk openly about his emotions and when she taxed him on it he reminded her about her promise to accept him as he was.

She hovered on the edge of sleep, exhausted by the emotional turmoil of the day. Her mind released from her tight control hovered on the two brothers and she mentally compared them. They felt so different. For some reason she really missed Stefan's long fingers, softly brushing back her hair, stroking her face. They were worker's or maybe farmer's hands, nails worn down to the beds, knuckles scarred. The skin was rough but the touch on her was unbelievingly gentle. Damon had what she thought of as gentleman's hands. The skin was soft, the nails refined and buffed, but somehow his touch was rougher.

Damon was more passionate with her. He pushed her to the brink of what a human body could take, sometimes keeping her on the edge of pleasure and pain until she begged him to stop. Stefan had always seemed aware of the fact that she was human, reminding her of a child with a china doll, always mindful that it could be broken.

They were both lean and the same height, and their hair, even though different colors had the same texture but their bodies were different. Damon was lean with underlying muscle but Stefan's muscles were well defined and obvious. The only thing she could attribute it to was work while he was still human. He didn't talk much about that part of his life but she had read his journals and knew he had worked in the fields and the barns alongside the hired hands. Not an ounce of fat on either one of them but still, different.

She wondered which one looked like their mother and which one looked like their father. They must both have had the gene for light colored eyes for one brother to end up with blue and the other green eyes. Damon had a much softer angled face than Stefan's square jaw and his eyes were the most beautiful she had ever seen. Stefan eyes betrayed his inner soul but just couldn't match his brother's for sheer physical beauty.

The last thought that drifted through her mind before she was lost in sleep was that Katherine had been right to want both of them. She didn't remember that in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Stefan always waited until Elena left for school before coming down to grab a cup of coffee. This morning he felt unusually lucky since Damon was also out, at what was for him, an ungodly early hour.

He heard the front door open and curious as to who had come back, he walked out sipping a cup of coffee. "So much for my lucky morning." He muttered as he watched a curly haired brunette throw her pocketbook on a sofa and saunter over to him, crossing her expensive red soled, impossibly high heeled, pointed shoes one in front of the other.

Not for a moment did Stefan mistake the girl for Elena. She was not dressed for school and Stefan noticed for the first time as she swung those hips from side to side that she was slightly wider than Elena. A small part of his mind thought 'she had a child' while the main part of him felt foreboding.

She smiled that small, charming, devilish smile that forewarned she was up to no good. She slowly twirled in front of him while he watched her cautiously. "I look good, don't I?"

He just shook his head, exasperated. "Why are you here Katherine?"

She didn't reply, just slowly walked by him trailing one finger over his chest as she passed him and headed up the stairs to the second floor. His eyes narrowed but he followed her up, not sure what her intention was.

She sauntered into Damon's room and sniffed experimentally and then raised her eyebrows at him. He knew the sniff was done for dramatic effect. They could both easily smell the scent of sex still ripe in the room. She exaggerated the sway of her hips as she strutted over to the closet and threw open the doors, rifling through Elena's clothes, pushing the hangers along the pole, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "B-o-r-i-n-g!" was her only comment.

She moved on, while Stefan picked up the dress she had allowed to slip to the floor, re-hung it and carefully shut the closet door she had left open.

She was now going through the dresser drawers. She picked up a pair of red bikini panties, dangling them on one finger, and shrugged at Stefan. "I don't recall her wearing things like this when she was with you."

He didn't bother to reply, just grabbed them off her finger, replacing them in the drawer. By the time he was done she had left the room. He found her in his room where she just stood in the center, her head swiveling around. When she was done she faced him.

"Have you decided where you're going and when?"

He wasn't surprised that she had noticed the telltale signs in his room. There were a lot of marks where things had been moved or reshuffled. There were journals and diaries missing and other little signs that a change was coming so he didn't waste time denying it.

"No and no." He drily replied. "I want to wait until Caroline and Bonnie are settled. I owe it to them."

"Do they know?" was the next question.

"No." he replied. "They don't notice much these days other than each other." The last was said without rancor.

Katherine accepted that calmly enough, merely offering. "Then I'll keep my mouth shut."

Stefan just looked at her, his look clearly saying 'I'll believe that when I see it' and then said. "When will you be going?"

An enigmatic smile was her only answer as she walked out. "Help me bring my suitcases in."

Stefan just shut his eyes in resignation. There wasn't much that he could do with Katherine. He wasn't strong enough to forcibly throw her out so unless Damon helped him he was screwed.

By the time Elena and Damon returned late that afternoon Katherine was firmly entrenched in Stefan's room. He had protested that there were six unoccupied bedrooms in the house but she affected not to hear him. Her stuff was strewn all over his room, or rather his stuff was, because she had emptied his closet and bureaus to make room for her clothes. The only bright spot to Stefan was that with his stuff all over, the fact that he was slowly emptying his room was no longer apparent. He wondered if that had been her intention but he couldn't fathom why she would cover for him.

Elena was vocal about her disapproval of Katherine but Damon was at first ambivalent. Katherine rather overtly courted his approval, congratulating him on winning Elena and turning a deaf ear to all of Elena's insults, refusing to be provoked into retaliating. She was careful to be amusing and take pokes at Stefan that entertained the older brother. They had actually parted on decent terms for them and he was so happy with the situation with Elena that he had no problem agreeing to her staying.

Stefan watched quietly, knowing exactly what she was doing but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what she was up to. She was in no danger; her life was her own for the first time in over five hundred years so why was she back in Mystic Falls? He took their ribbing quietly, taking the first opportunity to leave and pick up Caroline.

He drove her over to the town where Slater's coffee shop was open under new management which just happened to be his former girlfriend, now a vampire. He found Lee and some of his other old friends and they all sat down for coffee. The place held mostly humans because the vampire population had been drastically reduced with the death of three of the originals. Stefan was pleased that Lexi had been from the same line as he and Damon, which guaranteed Lee's life and that of some of his dearest friends. These were all vampires he felt good about introducing Caroline to . . . honorable, well intentioned people who tried to make something worthwhile of their gift of long life. She and Lee had hit it off, both of them finding common ground in their grief over their lost loved ones. Stefan knew he could feel easy leaving Caroline in his hands. He left early; Lee eagerly promising to see Caroline home.

Stefan stopped next at Bonnie's house, never realizing that Katherine had shadowed him all evening. She watched as the witch smilingly admitted him to her home and then left, not pausing to eavesdrop.

Stefan got home late to find Damon and Elena watching TV. Damon waved a cheery hand but Elena pointedly ignored him, still hurt by his refusal to help her. Stefan just nodded at his brother and went upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. He quickly showered and went to bed only to be pushed over by Katherine, scantily clad in a negligee.

Frustrated, he sat up in bed, looking down at her curled against his bare chest, one hand resting on his lower stomach. "I'm tired and not in the mood for games."

She pouted adorably and murmured. "But you know how much I love games!"

He tried to push her hand off his stomach, but he couldn't budge it. Even when consuming human blood he wasn't a match for her strength so rather than lose his dignity even more then he already had, he turned on his side, back to her, attempting to ignore her.

She pressed her face against his back and he could feel her triumphant smile. He gritted his teeth and punched his pillow into a more suitable shape for his head and tried to go to sleep.

He finally succeeded, only to wake in the middle of the night totally aroused. He had dreamed he was having sex with Elena, no Katherine, no Elena, no someone named Tatia. He woke to find Katherine riding him and by that time he didn't care anymore. His rage transformed into passion and he quickly flipped her, slamming into her as if he could drain all his frustration into her. She clawed huge furrows down his back with her long blood red nails which only inflamed him more. They quickly tumbled out of bed continuing against the wall, his thrusts causing pictures to come crashing down.

When they finally climaxed neither one bothered to muffle their screams.

Damon and Elena, woken by the noise reacted differently. Damon thought it was hilarious. "Never underestimate Katherine. I knew she'd get him in the end." A particularly loud crash made him add. "Bet Stefan gets the worst of it!"

Elena's was coldly disapproving. "How could he possibly want her? It's disgusting."

Damon turned to look at her. "Why should you care? He needs someone after all. What difference if it's her?"

She just pinched her lips together and turned over, sidling to her edge of the bed. When Damon put an exploratory hand on her shoulder she shrugged it off. "I need to sleep. I have school tomorrow."

They were woken before the alarm went off by the sounds of Katherine and Stefan going at it.

Elena was in a foul mood slamming things around. The four of them met in the kitchen; Katherine and Stefan breakfasting on a cup of coffee and a glass of blood. Katherine hadn't bothered to throw anything over her negligee so when she obligingly got up to pour two more cups of coffee Damon's eyes showed his appreciation for her scantily clad figure, especially when her bare bottom peeked out. That did absolutely nothing to improve Elena's temper. Outraged, she looked to Stefan for support but he kept his eyes trained on his coffee cup. The two of them obviously hadn't showered yet because Stefan's back and chest were covered with dried blood streaks, spaced to exactly match Katherine's fingers.

Damon made a point of tracing them with his hand, eyebrows waggling at Katherine, who merely returned a cat that licked the cream smile.

That was too much for Elena, who slammed her coffee cup into the sink and flounced out, book bag in hand.

Damon looked surprised and Katherine took the opportunity to play friend, solemnly counseling him. "She doesn't like me you know so you should ignore me."

Damon frowned, draining his coffee cup. "I'll talk to who I want."

"I just don't want to cause trouble for you." Katherine was careful to school her features to a caring expression so when Damon shot a suspicious glance at her she was able to meet his eyes without hesitation.

It wasn't until he left to drive Elena to school that she allowed herself to explode into laughter. Stefan watched her, shaking his head.

Katherine went around behind him, kissing his neck while wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "We need a shower. We both stink of sex and then maybe we can fill Damon's tub and soak while we talk."

Stefan leaned back against the side of the tub, eyes closed, breathing in the violet scented bubbles that Katherine had added to the tub. He always associated the smell of violets with his first meeting with her. She had stepped out of the carriage and given him her delicate hand, the scent enveloping him on that warm summer day. He was totally relaxed for the first time in months.

Katherine, leaning back across from him, watched him with a self satisfied smile. The shower had turned into something more than just a cleaning session. She thought once again how smart she had been to change him when he was at his physical peak. He could go for as long as she wanted and then recover and go again. She lifted one shapely foot and prodded him in the chest with her toe. He murmured a protest which just widened her smile. She raised her arms up stretching contentedly.

"You remembered everything I taught you." She purred. "It's a good thing I'm not human or I would be very, very sore.

A soft, noncommittal grunt was the only indication he heard her.

She was pleased that he was so relaxed and used the opportunity to further her plans.

She gently poked him again with her toe, eliciting another incoherent protest.

"So, you're hooking Caroline up with Lexi's old boyfriend, what's the plan for Bonnie?"

That made him briefly open his eyes to look at her and then they slowly closed. "I thought I sensed you once or twice last night. I should trust myself more."

"What's Bonnie's plan?" She was never one to get sidetracked when she wanted to know something.

Stefan sighed, not having the energy or a good reason to deny her the information. "She's moving to go to college. She'll be near Lucy and that branch of the family."

He missed Katherine's angry look at Lucy's name but she let it go. The Bennetts were no threat to her right now and she had other fish to fry. It didn't mean she wouldn't do something about Lucy in the future but for now she would let sleeping dogs lie.

"When's she going?" Katherine prodded.

"Soon. Couple of weeks." Was the lazy reply.

"So when will you be ready to go?"

He stayed silent for a moment and then replied. "Right after she does. I should have most of my stuff taken care of by then." He idly flipped the bubbles with his fingers, saying more to himself then Katherine. "I need to get out of here for good. There's nothing but bad memories here."

She looked at him with what in another person would have been called compassion. It was surprising on Katherine's face.

"I'll leave with you."

He locked eyes with her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

She mocked him. "How do you intend to stop me?"

He shook his head and leaned back, slipping lower under the water, ignoring Katherine's tinkling laugh.

Three weeks later Katherine and Stefan loaded up their suitcases as soon as Elena and Damon had left for the day.

Katherine watched curiously as Stefan tossed his phone on the living room table. Their suitcases were already in Katherine's SUV. "Are you going to leave a note?"

Stefan, hands now in his pocket, shrugged as he looked at her. "What's to say?"

She nodded her understanding.

They walked out together, she heading for the driver's seat. He offered to drive but she declined saying. "I know where I'm going."

He didn't protest and she noticed he never looked back as they pulled away.

She drove for an hour before pulling into a truck stop. He looked at her puzzled. "We don't need gas."

He momentarily stiffened as the back door opened and quickly closed. As he tried to rise from his seat, a hand like a vise gripped his shoulder and forced him back down.

Katherine sped away as Elijah leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I missed you."

She turned her head to return the kiss. "I'm back."

Elijah catching Stefan's stunned, fearful expression laughed and gentled his grip. "Don't worry Stefan. There's nothing for you to fear. I know my mother was responsible for my sister's and brothers' deaths. If anything I have you and your brother and friends to thank for my life."

Elijah then slyly smiled and settled back against his seat. "Of course, you were saving yourselves also, since I am your sire."

Stefan opened and then closed his mouth, looking from Katherine to Elijah. "Wha . . Why?"

Elijah smiled broadly. "Katerina has always wanted a threesome. Don't worry. We'll have a good life together."

"Where did you decide to go first?" Katherine looked at Elijah in the rear view mirror.

"Italy. Head to the airport."

Stefan thought about it for a moment and then shrugged and relaxed against his seat. He wanted to forget the past and this would certainly do it.

~ Fin~


End file.
